Benjamin Franklin (Photo credit: elycefeliz)
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF- now say that five times fast) recently issued new recommendations in regard to vitamin D and calcium supplement prescription to prevent fractures. The recommendations guide health professionals to practice utilizing current research evidence. The task force concluded, “the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of the benefits and harms of combined vitamin D and calcium supplementation for the primary prevention of fractures in premenopausal women or in men.” It was also inconclusive as to, “daily supplementation with greater than 400 IU of vitamin D3 and greater than 1,000 mg of calcium for the primary prevention of fractures in noninstitutionalized postmenopausal women.” It also recommended, “against daily supplementation with 400 IU or less of vitamin D3 and 1,000 mg or less of calcium for the primary prevention of fractures in noninstitutionalized postmenopausal women.”
Fractures happen when bone fails and breaks. An unexpected fall could result in a fracture. According to the CDC, most fractures in older adults are a result of a traumatic fall. Over 95% of hip fractures are due to a fall. For those with osteoporosis, a fracture can result from seemingly harmless activities, like getting out of bed. For those trying to be more physically active, fractures can result from training errors.
A physical therapist can help prevent fractures. PTs can help improve strength and balance in order to reduce the risk of falling. They make home visits to identify unsafe conditions in the home and make recommendations to make the environment safer. They can instruct patients who have osteoporosis in safe exercise to maintain good bone health and activities to avoid to reduce the risk of fracture. They can also advise active individuals in safe training that will not result in overuse injuries such as stress fractures.
Broken bones can result from trauma and accidents and these can be hard to prevent, but as you see in certain conditions, physical therapy is the ounce of prevention needed to prevent fracture.
Need a physical therapist? Find me at New Orleans’ Touro. Or go to the APTA’s Move Forward website to find one in your area.
References
Falls in Older Adults: An Overview. (2012). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention. Accessed on 03-11-13 at http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Falls/adultfalls.html
Gillespie LD, Robertson MC, Gillespie WJ, et al. Interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;(9):CD007146.
Howe TE, Shea B, Dawson LJ, et al. Exercise for preventing and treating osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011, (7): CD000333.
Vitamin D and Calcium Supplementation to Prevent Fractures, Topic Page. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/uspsvitd.htm
MoniqueSerpasPT
My name is Monique Serpas, PT, DPT, OCS. I am a physical therapist and board-certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist practicing at the Southeast Louisiana Healthcare System in New Orleans, LA. I realize how difficult it can be to overcome an injury or manage a chronic condition and am focused on helping my clients achieve wellness through a physically active lifestyle. I treat orthopaedic, balance, and vestibular disorders and practice using a combination of hands-on manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, and education. This enables my patients to assist in their own recovery and injury prevention. I also have developed fall prevention and golf-related rehab programs in the past. I hold a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Concordia University Wisconsin (2008) and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Louisiana State University (2004). I am a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Louisiana Physical Therapy Association (LPTA), and the Orthopaedic and Neurology sections of the APTA.
If you want to connect beyond the blog, m...@geaux2pt.com or click on the following social network icons:
March 12, 2013
Orthopaedic, Prevention